Aye. The ayes are 17. The nays are 0. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. We will now proceed to the consideration of privileged resolutions. Will the Clerk please read any additional resolutions on today's Calendar.
A privileged resolution honoring and recognizing Gloria Twine Chisum, Ph.D., for her civic leadership and service to the City of Philadelphia introduced by Councilmember Gauthier.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Gauthier for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted.
And a privileged resolution honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week, the Fairmount Waterworks Freshwater Mussel Hatchery, for their research and efforts to improve water quality and aquatic life in the City of Philadelphia using lab-grown freshwater mussels 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING introduced by Councilmember Thomas.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Thomas for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution. 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING
And a privileged resolution honoring the five 4th District recipients for the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teachers Tyriese Holloway, Robert Smith, Michelle Shaw-Carpenter, Garth Shuler and Christina Kimmel introduced by Councilmember Jones.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jones for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.) 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
Resolution honoring and recognizing Tynecia Wilson for her outstanding dedication to education, community service and her recent crowning achievement as Miss Philadelphia 2024 introduced by Councilmember Jones.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jones for a motion on the resolution.
On behalf of the next Ms. America, I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.) 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
Resolution honoring and celebrating the life and legacy of Miller Parker and formerly declaring June 18, 2024 as "Miller Parker Day" in the City of Philadelphia introduced by Councilmember Jones.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Jones for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution declaring June 21, 2024 as "Make Music Philly Day" 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING introduced by Councilmember Landau.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson for a motion on the resolution on behalf of Councilmember Landau.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of Councilmember Landau, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
Resolution honoring and congratulating the Girard College Varsity Boys Track Team for winning the 2024 Metropolitan Philadelphia Athletic Association's Boys Track Championship introduced by Councilmember Young.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jeffrey Jay Young for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Chief Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
And a resolution recognizing June 2024 as Gun Violence Awareness Month in the City of Philadelphia introduced by Councilmember Young.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Young for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A resolution, Joining the City of Philadelphia in National Garden Week, celebrating the role of nature in nurturing mental and physical wellness and recognizing the urgent need for garden equity across the City of Philadelphia introduced by 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilmember Brooks.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Brooks for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Chief Clerk please 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING read the title of the next resolution.
Resolution honoring and recognizing Miya Benintende and Mark Macyk of the Edward T. Steel School as recipients of the 2024 Lindback Award for Distinguished Teachers introduced by Councilmember Brooks.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Brooks for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I enthusiastically move for the adoption of this resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Chief Clerk please -(Applause.)
And a resolution authorizing the Committee on Education to hold hearings to examine the sudden closing of the University of the Arts, the impact the sudden closing will have on the Philadelphia higher education system and most importantly, the negative impacts on the current student body and staff introduced by Councilmember Squilla.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING Squilla for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I ask for passage of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
Resolution recognizing June 10, 2024 as 6/6/24 - STATED - 2ND READING American Heart Association Centennial Celebration Day in the City of Philadelphia introduced by Councilmember Ahmad.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Nina Ahmad for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of this resolution.
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
There are no other resolutions in my possession, Council President.
That completes our Calendar for today. Are there -- now, you know we were here -- you know we left like 2:00 in the morning. Are there any brief speeches on behalf of the Minority? The Chair recognizes Councilmember Brooks.
Okay. All right. Today I introduced a resolution to affirm that City Council supports sending public dollars to public schools and not to vouchers for private institutions. Those of us who attended public schools, who sent our children to Philly public schools and who have loved ones who schools, we all know the truth that came out in last year's Supreme Court ruling. The state funding for our school is so inadequate that it is literally unconstitutional. Instead of directing all available resources to right this wrong and make up for decades of underfunding, some folks feel that resurrecting the idea of vouchers will divert public funds, which diverts public funds to private institutions, exasperates educational injustice that undermines our public schools. As a longtime parent activist, I am very familiar with education privatizers who pretend to care about our communities so they can sell appearance on the fake promise of privatization. And I want parents to know the truth. in the pockets of the rich while draining resources from the public schools in our communities. Across the country we've seen that the people who benefit the most from the vouchers are wealthy families who could already afford to send their children to private schools. Vouchers will not benefit the children in our communities or fix Pennsylvania's unfair funding system. Instead they will deepen the economic and racial divides in Pennsylvania's school system and widen the gap between the rich and the rest of us. If you share my commitment to supporting our public schools, please consider joining me this coming Monday, June 10th in Harrisburg. I will be standing on the steps of the Capitol with my partners, allies in Pennsylvania State House, community leaders across the state and dozens of Philadelphia parents and students and teachers to say no to vouchers and yes to full fair funding of our public schools. This coalition of public education supporters has also created a petition and nearly 3,000 people have already signed on. com/novouchers. We need Philadelphia public education community to come together to reject vouchers and defend our public schools because when we fight, we win. And speaking of fighting and winning, I also introduced a resolution today of two amazing educators from Edward T. Steel School Elementary. As many of you know, I got my political start as a parent activist fighting against the privatization of Edward T. Steel and many other Philadelphia public schools. 11 years ago people in my community decided that we were not going to hand over our neighborhood schools to a privatizer. Nikki Bagby, Charisma Presley and many other parent activists in Nicetown came together to defend our public school against privatizers. We fought and we won. And since then, I heard a lot of ugly narratives about our neighborhood public schools, that they are places of failure and violence and despair and that the teachers don't care and aren't motivated enough. But the truth is that our educators are often the ones holding the schools together along with parents despite severe lack of public schools have all the resources they need, all the resources that the school and other communities have been getting for years, we'll never know how successful they actually can be. So today it brings me great pride and joy to honor not one but two educators from Edward T. Steel Elementary School who have been selected by the School District for this year's Lindback Award of Distinguished Teachers.
And I want to acknowledge the award winners -we call her Ms. B -- but Miya Benintinde and Mark Macyk. )
And I want to recognize them for their exceptional work to support and educate and uplift Nicetown's young people. And I want to thank you for all you do to help hold our together, and I want you to know that you are appreciated. I also introduced a resolution today to declare this week as National Garden Week in Philadelphia. Over the past month in this room, we've heard from community gardens from dozens of gardens across the City who came out to speak about our urban agriculture plan and about the Priority Bid legislation that we successfully passed last week. This week we celebrate the hundreds of community gardens across the City and the progress we've made together to protect and expand Philadelphia's green spaces. Thank you so much.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. I want to thank my colleagues for giving final approval to two parts of my Defying Displacement Campaign. First, we practiced good governance by authorizing a ballot measure that would amend the Home Rule Charter to mandate that density bonus payments go into the City's Housing Trust Fund as intended. The City Code already says that payments in lieu of providing affordable housing must go into the Housing Trust Fund, but the truth is that they usually end up in the General Fund instead. This leads to a spike of by-right multi-family or commercial development in our neighborhoods, but the size of the buildings are greater than what neighbors thought was allowed without a variance. That's because many developers gain additional density on their projects through zoning bonuses offered in the Code. One of these bonuses allows for denser by-right development if you make a payment to the City, which the Zoning Code says is to be used for Housing Trust Fund purposes. However, not once since this payment-in-lieu option began have these density bonuses led to a proportionate increase in the Housing Trust Fund. As a result, we've been underfunding affordable housing to the tune of $36 million over the past four years and we so distrust in our zoning process because residents see overscaled development with none of the City and the developers have promised them. This Charter change would ensure that we as a City make good on a commitment that the Code already says we make. So thank you to my colleagues for giving our constituents the power to compel the City to follow through on this promise for practicing good governance and for recognizing the importance of fully funding affordable housing. Today we also voted to strengthen protection for residents using housing vouchers. When my best friend became a teenage mom and needed somewhere to live on a tight budget, she applied for and received a housing voucher. Being housing secure allowed her to focus on her future. She earned multiple Master's degrees and has been a story isn't an anomaly. It's just one example of the tens of thousands of Black and Brown Philadelphians, many of whom are single Black mothers, who have lifted themselves out of poverty because they had affordable housing when they needed it the most. But today landlords overwhelmingly ignore the law and openly discriminate against voucher holders, preventing our neighbors from accessing the safe, stable and affordable homes that are crucial for a successful life, healthy communities and a vibrant city. As a result, up to in voucher holders cannot put their vouchers to use. That means working families have no choice but to surrender hundreds of dollars in rental assistance each month, which they are entitled to by law. of the largest and most direct means we have to combat our City's affordable housing crisis. And in a climate where we are losing hundreds of low-cost apartments every year and gaining hundreds more high-priced ones in their stead, vouchers are one of our best tools to level the playing field for working families. That's why I'm proud that City Council will no longer turn a blind eye towards rampant illegal discrimination against families using housing vouchers. I look forward to working with you all on the remainder of my Defying Displacement package and I thank you once again. (Applause.)
Thank you so much, Mr. President, colleagues. It is my sad duty here today to make this announcement: Whether you're growing flowers, whether you're raising puppies or kids, whether you're dealing with horses, you always can pick out one that you know is going to be special, but you know as they grow you're not going to be able to keep them all. Some of them have to grow beyond the house, kids, and you have to be willing when that bike when you're running down the street trying to keep them balanced, eventually you got to let it go. Today I rise to announce we have to let one go. And I didn't want to wait until next week to do it. I want to announce the successful departure of one (Standing ovation.)
As you know, he was my, is my Legislative Director, trained, handpicked by Judge Samantha Williams. She put her stamp of approval on him and he has hit the ground running and has not been a disappointment, the CPOC legislation, carrying it to its amendment, working on the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia which probably gave him his one gray hair. I want to announce today proudly that he has decided to choose Notre Dame Law School. So in our office we call him Babyface Nelson, because I try as a good parent to raise liberal kids. He's a blue dog Democrat. He's more O'Neill than Jones. Grew up in the Northeast and he is a very conservative individual, but it voices to advise good policy. And we're proud to have him. He is going to be a lawyer. He's not going to be a defender. He will be a prosecutor. So you lawyers that are in the room today if you are representing a client in the future and you see Anthony Glass come in as the prosecutor, you lean forward, tell your client take the deal. We congratulate you, Anthony. You cannot be replaced but you will be missed, but your presence has been felt by your work. Thank you so much for being with us. (Applause.)
Congratulations. And just from my lived experience young man, good prosecutors also seek justice as well. So always keep that in mind. on. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jeffrey Jay Young.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I want to thank the members of this body for passing a resolution recognizing June as Gun Violence Awareness Month. As we know, gun violence is a uniquely American epidemic, and guns are the leading cause of death in young people under the age of 19 years old. It's no secret that I've lost loved ones to gun violence here in this City. And I just want to make sure that as we go into the summer months we keep the pressure on to make sure that we get these illegal guns off our streets, we provide our children with opportunities to be successful and opportunities to keep their mind the summer. So I just want to thank my colleagues for sponsoring and supporting that resolution. And also, this Saturday we will be renaming the 2800 block of Girard Avenue after Ms. Lana Felton-Ghee. You're all invited to attend the ceremony. It will begin at 1:00 p.m. at the corner of 29th and Girard, so please come out and let's celebrate the legacy of Ms. Ghee this Saturday at again 1:00 p.m. 29th and Girard. Thank you, Mr. President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jim Harrity.
Thank you, Council President. I'll be very brief. I just wanted to rise to thank my colleague Curtis Jones and here who voted to move forward the resolution to honor Congressman Brady. It's no secret that the Congressman is, as we say, my political father. I've been working on and off for the Congressman for over 30 years and I'm just glad to see that we're going to honor him and give him his flowers why he's still here. You know, Brady -- Bobby takes a lot of heat. Not only does he take heat for his own stuff, but he always takes heat for our stuff too, those of us that are part of the party. And he gets beat up a lot for different things, but people never seem to say all the good stuff that he's done over the years as our Party Chairman, such as making the first LGBT judge, the first Asian judge, the first Hispanic judge, our first LGBT Councilperson, our first Asian Pacific Islander Councilperson. And personally, I need to thank him for taking a chance on a little Irish kid from Southwest Philly giving him a shot. So I thank you, Councilman, and I thank all my colleagues for doing this for the Congressman. And I look forward to seeing it all the way through. Thank you.
Thank you, Council President. I first want to thank you and my colleagues for the good humor and patience we exhibited yesterday when we pulled our first all-nighter for the people of glad we were able to pass the budget out of Committee and I appreciate that. I wanted to thank all my colleagues also and others who joined me in celebrating an auspicious milestone, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the American Heart Association. We all know AHA for asking us to dress up in red for fundraisers and for the tremendous amount of awareness they have raised around heart health, but most particularly women's heart health, but that's just more recent chapter in a century of many breakthroughs in the ways we prevent and treat heart disease, understand the keys to cardiovascular health, keep people healthier and help them live longer. We have known for more than half a century that limiting fat to heart health because of the American Heart Association. The seeds of what we know about the harms of tobacco use were planted more than 65 years ago with the scientific study published by the American Heart Association and more than half of the people in this room know exactly what to do if someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest because of the American Heart Association. They have invested over $5 billion into cardiovascular research. Those investments led to the awarding of 10 Nobel Prizes. So I don't think it's a stretch to say they have done more to deepen our understanding of heart health than any other organization on the planet. Congratulations on 100 years of progress and improving our collective vision of health and much for all that you do and I wish you many, many years of health advocacy and discovery in the future. Thank you, Council President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Phillips.
Good afternoon, Philadelphia. I just want to say something really briefly. I want to thank our colleagues for passing out of Committee this week and a very important legislation is the Encroaching Tree legislation. When I first joined City Council, I made it a priority to really find ways to be in neighborhoods and listen to our neighbors. And one of our neighbors, Phyllis, really spoke on the that was having an encroachment on her property and other people's properties and was causing quite a danger, but the laws and policies in the City did not allow for the City to really take down that tree. So now we are in a position where not only her tree, but countless other trees are going to be set to be favorably passed hopefully next week to really, really make sure that we are successful with helping people want to stay in Philadelphia because we're taking care of quality-oflife issues. In addition to that, we did a curfew bill in the Logan area co-sponsored with Councilwoman Cindy Bass and the Olney area and so forth and also we did a curfew bill in West Oak Lane and Mt. Airy area, all because we want to make quality in our neighborhoods. And I'm looking forward to seeing how that bill helps us bring the right businesses and the right serenity into our neighborhood. And I just want to thank the residents in the 9th District for pushing me and also our team so that we could do the work of the Lord for them. So we're looking forward to continuing to support all of our neighbors in the 9th District. You call, you ask for something, it happens because we care. Thank you so much, Council President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Isaiah Thomas.
Okay. So I'm going to just do everything in one chunk if that's okay with you, Council President.
Real quick, on your behalf I just want to remind Councilmembers and the listening public that the Odunde Festival is this Sunday at 12 o'clock at 23rd and South Street. If you don't know, it's one of the biggest festivals in the entire country. It's an amazing time. And on behalf of the Council President, I just want to encourage people to come out. Since I have the mic, I do want to just take a moment to thank all of the Tech staff, the Council President's staff, Sergeant-at- Arms, all the Council staff, the cleaning staff as well too, thank you, Councilmember O'Rourke. A lot of people don't know when we decide to stay until early in the morning, that the staff has to stay as well too and then get back up the next day and continue to move with a smile and the same effort that we expect. So I just want to say thank you to everybody for that. And with that being said, Council President, I make a motion that Council stands adjourned until Thursday, January 13th at 10:00 a.m. sharply -- June 13th. I'm sorry. I make a motion that Council stands adjourned until June 13th at 10:00 a.m. sharp.
It has been moved and properly adjourned until Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The motion carries. Thank you all very much. ) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence noted are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me in the foregoing matter, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. m. L. m. d. S. com/ Winston word 14:8,9 135:14 novouchers. 49:2 98:11 3:16 20:24 149:23 232:15 101:8 24:19 159:10 work 240:8 wheelchair wiped 12:22,25 worse 108:23 118:22 128:15 116:6 year's 138:25 230:4 wheeling wishing worsening 139:4 234:14 143:13 105:5 116:11 146:7 years Whitaker Wister worthy 158:25 53:3 70:17 62:11 48:6 143:15 159:15 72:5 Whitby withdraw 230:2 wow 114:4,17, 31:9,12 8:23 234:22 25:24 19,20 Wi-fi withheld 243:18 written 117:4,8 118:24 115:9 252:11 198:12 130:23 widen witnesses worked wrong 131:7 231:17 118:7 114:5 168:18 132:21 127:16 144:24 230:11 145:2,15 Wilkins 135:21 145:16 149:24 53:23 Wyoming 141:21 152:13 150:7 William 62:11 148:3 158:22 152:14,19 129:19 159:16 150:18 163:6 159:21 Y 157:4 161:4 162:22 workers 159:23 y'all 163:8 141:7 Williams 23:22 233:7 woman working 242:7 244:2 234:7 128:24 111:19 Willow ya'll 237:22 164:8 113:7 80:3 126:12 244:14 women 114:21 246:9,22 Wilson 160:9,21 130:22 Yarborough 249:7,24 23:23,25 159:9 118:4 women's 250:4 24:2 26:14 239:22 121:23 160:14,17 yellow 37:12 240:12,18 125:20,23 248:15 105:12 217:12 242:12 126:15 won 127:2 yesterday win 246:8 39:23 20:12 232:20 Works year 135:24 120:24 winners 33:18 20:25 233:15 152:25 234:16 67:5,12, 21:15 52:6 wonderful 70:8 71:21 247:24 winning 13,17 68:2 133:20 110:13 yield 41:21 70:12 138:2 Stated Meeting 73 06/06/2024 105:18 60:25 York 61:2,8,9, 88:13 15,16 62:6,7,23 young 63:3 98:5 12:20 100:25 13:16 142:9 17:25 164:16 20:22 237:8,12, 23:19,22 24:10 26:12 Zuri 39:7,8,17 136:16 76:5,8 Zychick 83:23,25 147:25 123:12 150:16 127:3 153:24 184:14,15 156:25 187:21,22 157:7 190:24,25 193:5,6 195:20,21 204:5,6 208:15,16 211:23,24 221:13,16, 222:18, 21,23 234:23 243:23 244:4,5,13 Z zionists 120:4,8 Zone 72:24 zoning 30:11 48:20 57:7,18